Scarborough: 'Off the Air Nobody Thinks Christie Can Win'

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” host Joe Scarborough downplayed the presidential possibilities of Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), who according to Scarborough isn’t viewed as a favorable candidate behind the scenes.

That according to Scarborough has played into the presidential calculus of former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), who is said to be weighing a third presidential run in 2016.

“[Romney] just doesn’t care,” Scarborough said. “He doesn’t think that — he does not think that Chris Christie is going to win and we ought to just say what, we ought to do what we do around here and say on the air what everybody says off the air in Republican circles. No, I’m just going to say, if you want to know what Mitt Romney is thinking, nobody thinks Chris Christie can win. Nobody thinks he can get past everything that’s happened before even if he’s exonerated. Nobody thinks he’s got the temperament to run. Nobody thinks he can handle Iowa. Nobody thinks he’s going to win in South Carolina, etc., etc., etc. I only say that to say nobody around Mitt Romney is saying, ‘Oh boy, if Chris Christie gets in, we better not do it.’ And we’re all talking about who has the mantle for the establishment wing of the Republican Party. It’s Jeb or it’s Mitt and if Jeb doesn’t run, then I think Mitt may be on his way.”